As designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) for the CIM Group, the proposed Jack London Square Hotel includes 155 hotel rooms with an open restaurant and bar(s), a series of resort style patios, an outdoor pool and volleyball court, and landscaped dunes overlooking the existing Bay Trail and estuary.

And the hotel’s meeting and event space would sit at corner of Water and Harrison.

From Oakland’s Planning Department with respect to the proposed plans for the F3 site which are slated to be presented to the City’s Design Review Committee next week:

“The proposed project is an attractive hotel design with components of a destination resort. The expansive grounds and separate bar and restaurant, along with amenities like an outdoor pool and possible event space, suggest a luxury recreation and entertainment experience more than a modest economy hotel or motel facility.

A luxury, destination hotel would be a beneficial use in the Jack London District and for the Oakland community, attracting visitors to the city and activating the waterfront consistent with long-term City goals and objectives.

At the same time, [Planning Department] staff has concerns regarding how the project site planning relates to and supports neighboring uses and the larger Jack London District.”

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Comments from “Plugged-In” Readers

We have a prime Oakland waterfront site with a direct view of the SF skyline and Oakland gets a motel looking structure out of it? Come on. This is Jack London Square right on the water. Talk about selling Oakland short. We desperately need quality hotels in Oakland. We don’t need a squat looking motel on prime waterfront land.

A tall slim hotel set back on the parcel would look just fine. Take a look at the Baltimore Inner Harbor for an example of what the Oakland waterfront could look like. Also, Brooklyn Basin, just down the Estuary from this site is slatted for mid and highrise buildings.

All they would really have to do is pick up one end of that building and stand it up vertically. All of a sudden we would get better views and more surface area below. As is the F2 views don’t look like they would be affected by adding height to the current hotel footprint. From looking at the rendering the hotel is set to the east of the F2 project and not blocking views.

Look at the third rendering, the one that depicts what street level would look like. Drop a big tower on that site and you’ve got that 70’s to 90’s sterile streetscape.

…others can argue space vs place better than I can, but I will say that Baltimore inner harbor is exactly what people don’t want, the silo hotel tower on the edge of big plaza is not whats wanted. The rendering shows an exterior with probably seven or eight distinct places.

Also shadows are a consideration

I like the design and would say that Oakland would benefit from more hotels, apartments and condos like it in the six to 12 story range

I think Formerly Native hit the correct point. It will get used by business people, not tourists. Unless, they can’t afford SF.

I know E. Gonsalves thinks that Oakland is superior to SF in every way on paper and tourists *really* want to go there – but they never will. Nobody ever says “I want to go to California/Bay area to see the rich history and architecture of Oakland!” Oakland will always be there to feed into SF with more affordable housing and businesses.

I think tourists would really want to come to Oakland if they knew what Lake Merritt, Jack London Square, Old Oakland, Uptown, Temescal, Rockridge, Piedmont Avenue, Redwood Regional etc. looked like and were like. The average tourist is not informed about Oakland.

They (tourists) really wouldn’t come if they knew. I know about all those things, and couldn’t care less about going there to see them. I never bother taking out of town guests there. They’re not that interesting – and certainly not as interesting as SF/Marin and Napa/Sonoma.

that_dude, even without your massive influence tourists still spend about $2 billion a year in Oakland. We have a nationally recognized food scene, decent night life, a great airport and transit, one of the most respected zoos in the nation and venues for just about every outdoor activity. We have friends in Oklahoma City that have read about the Fox Theater and Temescal. Every time I bring someone new here they’re floored by what Oakland is really like. While it’s far from perfect, Oakland is still a place people choose to come to and not just because they can’t afford SF (how rude).

I’ve had visitors from NYC comment on how beautiful the architecture in Old Oakland is. Frankly there is nothing like 9th Street in Old Oakland or the preserved victorians in Preservation Park in SF. Oakland has a 1700ft obervation area at Grizzly Peak. The Marin Headlands and Twin Peaks are 900ft. There is nothing like the 13 mile scenic drive on Grizzly Peak and Skyline Blvd in the Oaklanf hills inside SF City limits. This scenic drive in Oakland is more lush with better views than Mulholland Drive in LA. The Oakland Zoo is the best Zoo in Northern California and now has a bran new gondola which takes you up to a hillside restaurant with magnificent views.

Actually about 25M visitors care about the EBRPD, so unless you’re rounding to the nearest billion, it’s more than “no one”. That you haven’t even heard of it doesn’t surprise me much, but perhaps you should consider making use of some of the educational programs they offer.

Oakland has a great climate amazing regional parks, beautiful views, interesting topography, etc., there are plenty of things to do in Oakland. The problem with Oakland is that it lacks the funding to promote itself along with the infrastructure to host large conventions. There are not nearly enough hotel rooms in Oakland. The City of Oakland is losing out on its fair share of the huge tourist industry in the Bay Area.

Why not go glass, like F2, and take advantage of the waterfront location? At least then it won’t look like a motel. No one makes glass motels. The overall concept is fine, fun even, but the building itself could use a little more character.

Why not a 400 to 500 room hotel on the waterfront? Oakland should have 12,000 hotel rooms for a city of its size, stature, and central Bay Area location. Right now Oakland has about 4,000 hotel rooms. Why waste the premiere hotel spot on the Oakland waterfront on just 160 rooms? The Bay Area and Northern California have a huge tourism industry. Oakland is closer to Napa, Monterey, and Tahoe than SF, and is 15 minutes by BART from SF attractions. Why isn’t Oakland getting a 500 room Intercontinental Hotel on this prime waterfront site? I once stayed at a very nice Intercontinental Hotel on a Boston inlet smaller than the Oakland Estuary. Why is Oakland so underestimate and underserviced by the hotel industry?

The City’s approved plan for the Jack London District only allows for the development of up to 250 hotel rooms upon the F3 site but also allows for up to 30,000 square feet of conference/event space versus the 4,000 as proposed based on the current economic landscape as forecast by those making the actual investment.

That being said, keep in mind that the CIM group is developing the F2 site as well and the economics of unobstructed views from the F2 project are now factoring into their programming for the F3 site.

I think the hotel was originally set to have its grand opening in 2017 but, obviously, plans changed. Just a guess, but maybe it was pushed back as the Giant’s Mission Rock project was being pushed back and the Giant’s want the hotel to go up concurrent with Mission Rock construction?

Thanks for the background information. I would suggest to the City and the developers to go slimmer and taller on both projects. The views would be better for both projects and Oakland would get the badly needed 250 hotel rooms zoned for the parcel. The larger slimmer taller hotel could be place further east while creating more space for a larger plaza and pool area. This would create better views for the hotel while also leaving views for the F2 project. Oakland needs every hotel room it can get.

Let’s also keep in mind that if the Oakland A’s build either at Victory Court, Laney, or Howard Terminal, Oakland is going to need many more large hotels at Jack London Square, and Downtown. Just 155 rooms at this prime site makes no sense. Little Emeryville, with no BART stations nearby has more substantial and larger hotels than Oakland. The redlining and underestimating of Oakland by the hotel industry needs to stop.

I would agree with you; and indeed that’s the folly behind all of these “ancillary development” (restaurant, stores) ideas that we so often see floated, but seldom – if ever – built.
But that having been said, if there was otherwise unmet demand, the prospect of solid bookings on ~80 dates might be enough to tip the scales toward development.

Apparently I’m in the minority but I think this looks like a fantastic project. If executed even to an average condition for this type of thing, this will draw a big following…there’s nothing like it on any major waterfront. This will be very, very popular and definitely draw people outside of Oakland to come visit.

Really thought SCB had turned a new corner with some of their more progressive designs. This looks like more of the crap they churned out in the 90’s early 2000’s… mostly in Chicago. See how well those buildings have stood the test of time. Man Oakland always gets [the short end of the stick]. 🙁

I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with E. Gonsalves – my first reaction to the renderings (and before seeing any comments here) was “suburban motel” – I think this is a classic example of something that will look woefully underbuilt (and dated) in just 5 or 10 years’ time.

I see the same thing you do – in those few seconds before I hastily cover my eyes again: a checkerboard pattern of various sized windows inset into white walls; I’m no sure where this “glassy structure” that others are mentioning is located, unless they mistakenly think that building in the background – F2 – is part of the project.

That Cathedral Hotel is depressing. What an eyesore that was. The proposal in Oakland is much nicer. My complaint is really more about not utilizing the site to its full potential. Oakland needs more than 155 rooms on that waterfront site.